Well we hope everyone is well and getting used to the current situation….. still a bit bonkers isn’t it? Over in the parks we’ve been taken aback at some of the current queue times that are being posted. For example we’ve seen Hagrid’s with a 30 minute wait?? What the fudge?? In the past we’ve seen queue times posted at 90 minutes and thought ‘’that’s not bad, lets jump into this one”.
This leads us to this weeks blog, one of the fun things about the parks are the queues, it’s the little things in them that make us laugh. For example the Kong; Skull Island attraction had scare actors dotted about in the queue, so when you thought it was an animatronic someone would reach out and grab you! We’ve heard a few screams and curses over that one, and can only imagine what its like during HHN… (lets be honest, the thought of PAYING someone to make me scream is bonkers). And yet some folks love it?? No accounting for taste.
Whenever you are in a queue at any park you will be blown away by the level of detail that is given to them. For example Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios they have used ‘everyday’ items to make the ‘furniture’ you sit on ‘babybel cheeses’. This place is so cool, from the building blocks used to make the structures, to the Linkin logs that are used for the fences. The details and the number of Easter eggs that are dotted about are many. If you look on the ‘toy boxes’ that are dotted around the barcodes and prices are referencing Disney and Pixar films, on Rex’s box there is a sticker that says 11-22 and $19.99 this is a nod to the release date of the original Toy Story film on the 22nd of Nov in 1999. On the entrance to Slinky Dog Dash there is a “dog tag” hanging that displays the wait time for the coaster, on the front you will see the time, on the rear however there is a name and address, its Buster, Andy’s dog from the films and his address, 234, Elm Street. One of my faves is the ‘A113’ that somehow appears in all Pixar and Disney films. It’s a nod to where most of the animators who have worked or are working in the business learned their craft, in classroom A113 at the California institute of Arts in Valencia in California.
Another fan fave is in Black Spire Outpost, again over in Hollywood Studios, this place is absolutely jammed packed of Easter eggs in the land. One large one is the full, life size ‘X-Wing” fightermthat sits atop of a platform. This featured recently in the Mandalorian episode 6 right at the end. Fun little fact, this X-Wing was on it’s way to BlackSpire Outpost when they divertered it to the studios for the Rebels to use. Everywhere you look there are nods to all of the history of the franchise. “Trash can” droids, speeder bikes and land speeders are to be found in and around. Over in Dok-Ondars Den of Antiquities there are loads of little things to spot. The Mandalorian’s rifle and helmet, lightsabers and Kyber crystals. There is a massive bas-relief sculpture of Sith battling Jedi that’s was seen in Chancellor Palpatine’s office during Revenge of the Sith. There are loads more dotted about in the “land” so keep looking and tell us how many you see.
One of the absolute best themed queues is at Expedition Everest, from the moment you walk into the temple area you will not cease to be amazed. It’s colourful, detailed and guaranteed to make you slow down and look at each and every exhibit that is on display. A prettier queue cannot be found in any of the parks. We watched the Imagineering Story on Disney+ and they showed you how they actually sent people to the Himalayas to study the area and bring back the feel and look of a base camp/ town. The walk through the Museum of the Yeti is simply brilliant. So many artefacts and stories on show make this a pleasure to wait, each time we go we see something that we’ve never seen before. Do yourself a favour and try not to get a fastpass for this ride, we can tell you the time in there will be well spent.
Over in Universal the queues there are just as good! As mentioned above, the “Kong, Skull Island; Reign of Kong” is a proper full on scary queue. It’s been modified somewhat because of the current situation (Covid-19), they used to employ actors who would interact (scare you) as you walked through the queue. If you’ve seen the newish film this ride is based on you will know what the natives look like… this place is dark and foreboding lots of little things that make you jump!
One queue you cannot beat is the queue for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This is stunning for many reasons, the main one is as you walk up to it from Jurassic Park, and the Hogwarts Castle looms up above you know you ain’t in the land of Muggles anymore… this is a personal favourite spot of mine to stand and watch people reactions as they see this for the first time…. the walk into the “school” is one of the best themed places you will EVER see, from the greeting of Harry, Ron and Hermione to seeing Dumbledore give you a few tips of what’s to come its a masterclass in story telling, thats what the queues are used for, to set you for what’s to come. As you wander round the halls you will see so many things from the films, such as the sorting hat, and the hilarious talking paintings. Quiet a few famous cameos in that lot so keep your eyes open. The ride itself is a bit full on, make sure you’ve had a toilet stop before as it does shake you about a bit!
The Marvel Superhero Island is a mass of Easter eggs, as you walk through you will see and hear many little things that are seen in the films or graphic novels. If you pop your ear to the drains on the sidewalk your can hear villains hatching plots and planning robberies. Look at the building around by Doctor Dooms Fearfall and you Osbourne Industry, the Gargoyles are “venom” heads. Or you can see signs for Fogwells Gym where Matt Murdock “Daredevil” used to train. Or you can see the sign for his company “Nelson an Murdoch, attorney at law”. If you look up you’ll see a road sign for Stan Lee Boulevard and Yancy Street. Yancy street was where Ben Grimm grew up. One of my faves next to the Spiderman ride is the Tower with “Stark Enterprises” logo on it. Inside the Spider-Man ride there is a permanent memorial to Stan Lee, fans sent notes in to tell of their love for him and his creations so they chose some and these are placed as a permanent memorial to him. If you notice the art work in Superhero Island, it’s done by the same guy who drew the comics, his name is Adam Kubert. For some reason he wasn’t allowed to sign his work when it was put on display inside Universal so he “hid” his signature in many of the designs. They are hidden in at least 22 of the artist’s creations, something akin to the ‘hidden Mickeys’’ in Disney. Have look and see how many you can find, here’s 2 to start, Capt America’s hand and the Hulks arm. Now go find the rest.
We’ll pop over to Diagon Alley. We could not believe this place. Immersive is not doing it justice. From working wands and window displays, to live music shows and story telling. This isn’t really a queue as such, but it leads you up to Gringotts Bank, and that “life size” Dragon on top of it. We’ve never seen so many folks just stop and stare at everything. If you are a Potter fan this must be total ‘nerd-varna’ and then you step into the bank….sheesshhhhhh. What.a.place. High vaulted ceilings and the Goblins behind the desks sorting out the books. Even this queue has its little bits of fun, like the ‘moving pictures’ in the newspapers.
Lastly the funniest one for us was the Hogwarts Express. From a near as dammit replica of Kings Cross Station to travel from one park to the other. When you are inside the old style railway carriage you see all the sights of London then onto the land of Wizards and Death Eaters. Loads of folks are “walking” in the corridor outside the carriage. You get to hear the 3 main hero’s helping out, and the Death Eaters looking for someone. It’s an excellent way to travel.
Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will have totally rebooked our trip for next year, and got all our ducks in a row. Fingers crossed! See all soon. Stay safe and take care.
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